Article transporter in semiconductor fabrication

ABSTRACT

A transporter for transporting an article used in semiconductor fabrication is provided. The transporter includes a robotic arm. The transporter further includes two platens connected to the robotic arm. Each of the two platens an inner surface facing the other, and a number of gas holes are formed on each of the inner surfaces of the two platens. The transporter also includes a gas supplier placed in communication with the gas holes. The gas supplier is used to control the flow of gas through the gas holes.

PRIORITY CLAIM AND CROSS-REFERENCE

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 15/993,001, filed May 30, 2018, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/589,085, filed on Nov. 21, 2017, theentirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Transporting or conveying articles for processing is performedthroughout the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device.Conventionally, articles are conveyed in a fabrication plant byautomatically guided vehicles or overhead transport vehicles that travelon predetermined routes or tracks. For the conveyance of articles, thearticles are normally loaded into containers, such as SMIF (a standardmachine interface) or FOUP (a front opening unified pod), and thenpicked up and placed in the automatic conveying vehicles. When thearticle is transferred to a processing apparatus, the article is removedfrom the container and moved in the processing apparatus by atransferring module that includes a manipulator.

A semiconductor wafer is one sort of article that may be positioned inthe container, and various device elements are formed on thesemiconductor wafer. Examples of device elements that are formed on thesemiconductor wafer include transistors (e.g., metal oxide semiconductorfield effect transistors (MOSFET), complementary metal oxidesemiconductor (CMOS) transistors, bipolar junction transistors (BJT),high-voltage transistors, high-frequency transistors, p-channel and/orn-channel field-effect transistors (PFETs/NFETs), etc.), diodes, andother applicable elements.

Alternatively, articles may include a test wafer. The test wafer is usedto monitor the integrity of a work station to be used in a semiconductordevice fabrication process flow. Alternatively, articles positioned inthe containers may include a photomask or reticle. The photomask or thereticle is used in a photolithography exposure process of thesemiconductor device fabrication process.

Although existing methods for transferring the article in the processingapparatus have generally been adequate for their intended purposes, theyhave not been entirely satisfactory in all respects. Consequently, itwould be desirable to provide a solution for a transferring tool forarticle transfer operations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It shouldbe noted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an article transfer route between aprocessing apparatus and a container and between different elements inthe processing apparatus, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a transporter for transferring anarticle, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a platen, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 4A shows a cross-sectional view of a platen, in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectional view of a platen, in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a gas supplier positioned in an arm, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6A shows a schematic view of one stage of a method for transferringan article before a transporter inserts into a container, in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 6B shows a schematic view of one stage of a method for transferringan article as a transporter is moved next to the article, in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 6C shows a schematic view of one stage of a method for transferringan article as the article is suspended by an upward gas flow, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6D shows a schematic view of one stage of a method for transferringan article as the position of the article is adjusted by both downwardand upward gas flows, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6E shows a schematic view of one stage of a method for transferringan article as the article is removed from a container, in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 6F shows a schematic view of one stage of a method for transferringan article as the article is rotated by a transporter, in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 6G shows a schematic view of one stage of a method for transferringan article as the article is moved next to a holding member, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6H shows a schematic view of one stage of a method for transferringan article as one of platen is driven to be rotated about a rotationaxis, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6I shows a schematic view of one stage of a method for transferringan article as the article is loading onto a holding member, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of a transporter, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of a lower carriage and an uppercarriage on a predetermined surface, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of a track with a carriagepositioned thereon, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 10A shows a schematic view of one stage of a method fortransferring an article as the article is moved between two carriages,in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 10B shows a schematic view of one stage of a method fortransferring an article as the article is rotated 90 degrees and suspendby the flow of gas from two carriages, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 10C shows a schematic view of one stage of a method fortransferring an article as the article is suspend by the flow of gasfrom two carriages and two platens, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 10D shows a schematic view of one stage of a method fortransferring an article as the article is moved by a transporter along atrack, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the subject matterprovided. Specific examples of solutions and arrangements are describedbelow to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merelyexamples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formationof a first feature over or on a second feature in the description thatfollows may include embodiments in which the first and second featuresare formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in whichadditional features may be formed between the first and second features,such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Inaddition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Furthermore, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,”“lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted inthe figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degreesor at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors usedherein may likewise be interpreted accordingly. It should be understoodthat additional operations can be provided before, during, and after themethod, and some of the operations described can be replaced oreliminated for other embodiments of the method.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an article transfer route between aprocessing tool 10 and a container 3 and between different elements inthe processing tool 10, in accordance with some embodiments. Theprocessing apparatus 1 is configured for performing a wafer fabricationprocess. The processing apparatus 1 may include any type of waferprocessing tools used in semiconductor chip fabrication.

In the following description, the processing apparatus 1 is a chemicalmechanical polishing (CMP) tool for performing a CMP process, and thearticle 5 to be transferred in the processing apparatus 1 is asemiconductor wafer. However, it should be appreciated that manyvariations and modifications can be made to embodiments of thedisclosure.

In an alternative, the processing apparatus 1 is a lithography tool forperforming a lithography process, and the article 5 to be transferred inthe processing apparatus 1 is a semiconductor wafer or a reticle havingIC design patterns for lithography process. In yet another alternative,the processing apparatus 1 may include metrology, inspection, testing orother tool, and the article 5 to be transferred in the processingapparatus 1 is a semiconductor wafer.

In some embodiments, the processing apparatus 1 includes a number ofprocessing tools, such as processing tool 10 and processing tool 20.Details of processing tool 10 and processing tool 20 are describedbelow, in accordance with some embodiments.

The processing tool 10 is a tool for performing a CMP process. In someembodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the processing tool 10 includes apolishing stage 11, a polishing pad 12 and a holding member 13, inaccordance with some embodiments. The polishing pad 12 is formed of amaterial that is hard enough to allow the abrasive particles in slurryto mechanically polish the article 5, which is placed under the holdingmember 13, during the CMP process. On the other hand, the polishing pad12 is also soft enough so that it does not substantially scratch thearticle 5.

In accordance with some embodiments, the polishing pad 12 is attached tothe polishing stage 11 by an adhesive film, adhesive, or glue, forexample. During the CMP process, the polishing stage 11 is rotated by amechanism, such as a shaft coupled a rotating motor (not shown), andhence the polishing pad 12 fixed thereon is also rotated along thepolishing stage 11.

The holding member 13 is configured to hold and move the article 5 invarious stages of the CMP process. For example, as the article 5 to bepolished is held by the holding member 13, the holding member 13 isdriven by a mechanism, such as a pivotable arm and a motor (not shown),to move over the article 5. The article 5 is then picked up by theholding member 13.

In accordance with some embodiments, the holding member 13 includes anumber of air passages 130 (FIG. 6I shows this feature more clearly), inwhich a vacuum may be generated. By vacuuming the air passages, thearticle 5 is sucked up and held on the bottom of the holding member 13for the transportation of the article 5 to the polishing pad 12.

During the CMP process, the holding member 13 is operable to provide apredetermined amount of pressure to press the article 5 against thepolishing pad 12 for mechanical polishing. For example, after theholding member 13 is moved over and also pressed against the polishingpad 12, the vacuuming in the air passages is then turned off, and hencethe article 5 is no longer sucked up. Afterwards, a flexible membrane(not shown) disposed between the bottom of the holding member 13 and thearticle 5 is inflated, for example, by pumping air into zones in theflexible membrane, and hence the inflated flexible membrane presses thearticle 5 against the polishing pad 12.

During the CMP process, the holding member 13 is also rotated by amechanism, such as a shaft coupled a rotating motor (not shown), causingthe rotation of the article 5 affixed to the holding member 13. Inaccordance with some embodiments, the holding member 13 and thepolishing pad 12 rotate in the same direction (clockwise orcounter-clockwise). In accordance with alternative embodiments, theholding member 13 and the polishing pad 12 rotate in oppositedirections.

With the rotation of the polishing pad 12 and the holding member 13, theslurry flows between the article 5 and the polishing pad 12 throughsurface grooves (not shown) formed a the polishing surface of thepolishing pad 12. Through the chemical reaction between the reactivechemicals in the slurry and the top surface of the article 5, andfurther through the mechanical polishing (i.e. through contact andfriction between the top surface of the article 5 and the polishingsurface), the top surface of the article 5 is planarized.

The processing tool 10 may further include other elements, such asslurry dispenser (not shown in figures), operable to dispense slurryonto the polishing pad 12 during the CMP process, and pad conditioner(not shown in figures) operable to dispense slurry onto the polishingpad 12 during the CMP process.

The processing tool 20 is configured to perform a post-CMP cleaningprocess to remove all polishing slurry, polishing residues in a quickand repeatable fashion. In some embodiments, the processing tool 20includes two brush members 21 (only one brush member is shown in FIG.1), the two brush members 21 are positioned adjacent each other with agap formed therebetween. The two brush members 21 extend in a verticaldirection and are rotatable about rotation axes 22 that are parallel tothe vertical direction. Therefore, the article being process by theprocessing tool is kept in an upright position, as shown in FIG. 1.

As indicated by dashed arrows shown in FIG. 1, for the article 5 whichis going to be processed by the post-CMP cleaning process, the article 5is transferred from the processing tool 10 to the processing tool 20with transporters 30 and 40 (which will be described in detail later).The article 5 is cleaned by a cleaning liquid, such as deionized water(DIW) and is dried. After the post-CMP cleaning process, the article 5is transferred from the processing tool 20 to the carriage 3 with thetransporters 30 and 40. In contrast, as indicated by the solid arrows,for the article 5 which is not processed by the processing tool 20, thearticle 5 is transferred between the carriage 3 and the processing tool10 with the transporter 30.

The transporter 30 is configured for physically transporting the article5. For example, the transporter 30 may retrieve the article 5 to andfrom a carrier 3, or the transporter 30 may transport the article 5 toand from the processing tool 10, or the transporter 30 may transport thearticle 5 to and from another transporter 40. However, the locationswhere the transporter 30 may transport the article 5 are not limited bythe present embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of the transporter 30 with an article 5suspended thereon, in accordance with some embodiments. The transporter30 includes a robot arm 31 and two platens 32 and 33. The robot arm 31is configured to move and position the article 5 in the processingapparatus 1.

In some embodiments, the robot arm 31 includes a first post 311 and asecond post 312. The first post 311 may be moved along a horizontaldirection X and a horizontal direction Y as indicated by the arrow inFIG. 2. The second post 312 is telescoped with the first post 311. Thesecond post 312 may be driven to slide relative to the first post 311 bya cylinder (not shown in figures), such as linear motor, in the verticaldirection Z as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2. The output power of thecylinder may be in the range from about 0.2 W to about 20 W.

The robot arm 31 further includes a link 313. In some embodiments, thelink 313 is connected to the second post 312 via a joint 314. The joint314 is rotatably connected to the second post 312 about a rotation axisR1. The rotation axis R1 may be parallel to the vertical direction Z.The joint 314 may include a driving member 315, such as a step motor, toactuate the joint 314 and the link 313 to rotate around the rotationaxis R1. The rotation angle of the joint 314 relative to the second post312 may be in the range from about 0 degrees to about 360 degrees.

In some embodiments, the platen 32 and the platen 33 are connected tothe link 313 via a joint 316. The joint 316 is rotatable connected tothe link 313 about a rotation axis R2. The rotation axis R2 may beparallel to the horizontal direction X. The joint 316 may include adriving member 317, such as a step motor, to actuate the joint 314, theplaten 32 and the platen 33 to rotate around the rotation axis R2.

In some embodiments, the platen 32 and the platen 33 are connected tothe driving member 317 via a shaft 318 and a shaft 319, respectively.The shaft 318 and the shaft 319 may be connected to edges of the platen32 and the platen 33. The driving member 317 independently drives therotation of the two platens 32 and 33 about a rotation axis R3. Therotation axis R3 may be parallel to the vertical direction Z. Therotation angle of the platen 32 and the platen 33 relative to the joint316 may be in the range from about 0 degrees to about 180 degrees.

In some embodiments, when one of the platen 32 and the platen 33 isrotated at 180 degrees and the other one stays at 0 degree, the platen32 and the platen 33 are arranged to be offset from each other (i.e.projections of the platen 32 and the platen 33 in the vertical directionZ are not entirely covered with each other.) With this arrangement, whenone of the platen 32 and the platen 33 is rotated at 180 degrees, thearticle 5 can be unloaded by other device from the other one of theplaten 32 and the platen 33 that stays at 0 degree.

However, it should be appreciated that many variations and modificationscan be made to embodiments of the disclosure. In the cases where thewidths of the platen 32 and the platen 33 are sufficiently greater thana width of the article 5 to be supported by the transporter 30, thearticle 5 may be unloaded from the transporter 30 by rotating one of theplaten 32 and the platen 33 to have a rotation angle that is less than180 degrees. That is, the projections of the platen 32 and the platen 33in the vertical direction Z are partially overlapped with each other. Insuch embodiments, the rotation angle may be in the range from about 90degrees to about 180 degrees.

Still referring FIG. 2, the platen 32 and the platen 33 each has a thinstructure with a small thickness to width ratio. For example, in caseswhere a 12-inch (300 mm) semiconductor wafer is transported by thetransporter 30 in the processing apparatus 1, each of the platens 32 and33 has a thickness H1 (FIG. 4A shows this feature more clearly), ofabout 1.8 mm to about 2.2 mm, and has a width (or diameter) of about 12inches or slightly greater than 12 inches.

It should be appreciated that the dimension of each of the platens 32and 33 should not be limited to the embodiments. The thickness of platen32 and platen 33 can be determined depending on the space where theplatens 32 and 33 are going to be inserted. Moreover, the width of eachof the platens 32 and 33 is designed to have a width that is the same asor slightly greater than a width of the article 5 to be transported bythe transporter 30, such as 6 inches, 8 inches or 18 inches.

In some embodiments, the platen 32 has an inner surface 320, and theplaten 33 has an inner surface 330. The platen 32 and the platen 33 arepositioned on the joint 316 in such a way that the inner surfaces 320 ofthe platen 32 can be directly facing the inner surface 330 of the platen33 and a gap G is formed between platen 32 and platen 33. The gap G mayhave a width that is sufficiently greater than a thickness of thearticle 5 that is going to be transported by the transporter 30. In someembodiments, the width of the gap G is in the range from about 2.7 mm toabout 3 mm.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the platen 32, in accordance with someembodiments. In some embodiments, the inner surface 320 of the platen 32has a number of ring-shape regions concentrically arranged. For example,the inner surface 320 of the platen 32 has a peripheral ring-shaperegion 322, a first ring-shape region 323 and a second ring-shape region324.

The peripheral ring-shape region 322 is positioned adjacent an outeredge 321 of the inner surface 320. The first ring-shape region 323 isconnected to an inner side of the peripheral ring-shape region 322 thatis away from the outer edge 321. The second ring-shape region 324 isconnected to an inner side of the first ring-shape region 323 that isaway from the peripheral ring-shape region 322. Surrounded by the innermost ring-shape region (i.e. the second ring-shape region 324), there isa central region 325 located relative to a center C of the inner surface320 of the platen 32.

In some embodiments, a ratio of the area of the first ring-shape region323, the second ring-shape region 324 and the central region 325 isabout 2:3:4. For example, the area of the first ring-shape region 323 isabout 2276.5 mm², and the area of the second ring-shape region 324 isabout 3846.5 mm², and the area of the central region 325 is about 4474.5mm2 in the cases where a 12-in wafer is supported. However, it should beappreciated that many variations and modifications can be made toembodiments of the disclosure. In some other embodiments, the platen 32is used to support wafer having about 6 inches to about 12 inches indiameter. In some embodiments, a width of the peripheral ring-shaperegion 324 between the first ring-shape region 323 and the outer edge321 is of about 1 mm.

In some embodiments, there is a detector 34 positioned between theplaten 32 and the platen 33. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, thedetector 34 is placed on the peripheral ring-shape region 322 of theinner surface 320. The detector 34 is configured to detect the positionof the article 5 located between the platen 32 and the platen 33. Thedetector 34 may emit energy beam such as laser, sonar, or microwave, tothe article 5 and receives a reflected energy beam from the article 5.Afterwards, the detector 34 calculates the height of the article 5relative to the inner surface 320 by multiplying the velocity of theenergy beam and the traveling time of the energy beam. The detectedresults are sent to a controller (not shown in figures) for performing aclosed-loop leveling control (which will be described in detail later).

In some embodiments, there are a number of gas holes formed in each ofthe first ring-shape region 323, the second ring-shape region 324 andthe central region 325, but the peripheral ring-shape regions 322 isfree of the gas holes. For example, there are a number of gas holes 61formed in first ring-shape region 323, and there are a number of gasholes 62 formed in the second ring-shape region 324, and there are anumber of gas holes 63 formed in the central region 325.

The gas holes 61, 62 and 63 formed on the first ring-shape region 323,the second ring-shape region 324 and the central region 325 may bearranged in a ring configuration. In addition, within each of the firstring-shape region 323, the second ring-shape region 324 and the centralregion 325, there would be multiple groups of the gas holes formedconcentrically. For example, within the first ring-shape region 323there are two groups of gas holes 61. Each of the two groups of gasholes 61 is arranged in a ring configuration. In addition, the twogroups of gas holes 61 are concentrically formed on the first ring-shaperegion 323.

In some embodiments, the gas holes in each region are connected to aconduit allowing the moving of gas from a gas supplier to the gas holes.The conduit in two neighboring regions may be separated and connected tothe gas supplier via different valves. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A,a conduit 620 is formed below the second ring-shape region 324. Theconduit 620 may be parallel with the second ring-shape region 324, and aheight H2 of the conduit 620 in a thickness direction of the platen 32is of about 1 mm to about 1.7 mm. The gas holes 62 formed on the secondring-shape region 324 are connected to the conduit 620, and the conduit620 is fluidly connected to a gas supplier 50 (which will be describedlater) via a valve 55, and as such the flow of gas supplied from the gassupplier 50 is discharged the outside via the conduit 620 and the gasholes 62 when the valve 55 is turned on.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4B, a conduit 610 is formed below the firstring-shape region 323. The conduit 610 may be parallel with the firstring-shape region 323, and a height H3 of the conduit 610 in a thicknessdirection of the platen 32 is of about 1 mm to about 1.7 mm. The gasholes 61 formed on the first ring-shape region 323 are connected to theconduit 610, and the conduit 610 may be fluidly connected to the gassupplier 50 via a valve 56, and as such the flow of gas supplied fromthe gas supplier 50 is discharged outside via the conduit 610 and thegas holes 61 when the valve 56 is turned on.

The structural features, in accordance with some embodiments, of the gasholes 61, 62 and 63 are described below.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4A, the gas holes 62 formed on thesecond ring-shape region 324 each has a tapered cross section. The taperangle of the gas holes 62 ranges from about 0 degrees to about 30degrees. With the tapered cross section, a compressed flow of gas F canbe discharged by the gas holes 62. As a result, an operating voltage ofthe gas supplier 50 to actuate the flow of gas F can be decreased. Inaddition, the gas holes 62 are extended in a direction that isperpendicular to the second ring-shape region 324. Guided by the gasholes 62, the flow of gas F is moved along a direction that issubstantially perpendicular to the second ring-shape region 324.

In some embodiments, a turbulent structure 621 is connected to each ofthe gas holes 62 and located next to the second ring-shape region 324.The turbulent structure 621 may be tapered in a direction opposite tothat of the gas hole 62 thereby forming a funnel-shape gas discharginghole. With the turbulent structure 621, the stationary and laminar flowof gas F passing the gas hole 62 is transformed into a turbulent flow ofgas F, as shown in FIG. 4A. The turbulent flow of gas F may generategreater pneumatic force to control the position of the article 5 (FIG.2) during the transfer. However, it should be appreciated that manyvariations and modifications can be made to embodiments of thedisclosure. In some other embodiments, the turbulent structure 621 isomitted and a stationary and laminar flow of gas is discharged by thegas hole 62 rather than turbulent flow of gas.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4B, the gas holes 61 formed on thefirst ring-shape region 323 each has a tapered cross section. The taperangle of the gas holes 61 ranges from about 0 degrees to about 30degrees. With the tapered cross section, a compressed flow of gas F′ canbe discharged by the gas holes 61. As a result, an operating voltage ofthe gas supplier 50 to actuate the flow of gas F′ can be decreased. Inaddition, the gas holes 61 are extended in a direction that is inclinedrelative to the first ring-shape region 323 at an angle a2 ranged fromabout 8 degrees to about 12 degrees. Guided by the gas holes 61, theflow of gas F′ is moved along a direction that is inclined relative tothe first ring-shape region 323.

In some embodiments, a turbulent structure 611 is connected to each ofthe gas holes 61 and located next to the first ring-shape region 323.The turbulent structure 611 may be tapered in a direction opposite tothat of the gas hole 61 thereby forming a funnel-shape gas discharginghole. With the turbulent structure 611, the stationary and laminar flowof gas F passing the gas hole 61 is transformed into a turbulent flow ofgas F′, as shown in FIG. 4B. The turbulent flow of gas F′ may generategreater pneumatic force to control the position of the article 5 (FIG.2) during the transfer. However, it should be appreciated that manyvariations and modifications can be made to embodiments of thedisclosure. In some other embodiments, the turbulent structure 611 isomitted and a stationary and laminar flow of gas is discharged by thegas hole 61 rather than turbulent flow of gas.

In some embodiments, the gas holes 63 formed on the central ring-shaperegion 325 has the same or similar configuration as the gas holes 62formed on the second ring-shape region 324; therefore, the features ofthe gas holes 63 will not be described in detail for the sake ofbrevity. The gas holes 63 may be connected to another conduit (not shownin figures) formed below the central region 325 and connected to the gassupplier 50 via another valve (not shown in figures) that isindependently controlled by the valve 55. Namely, the flow of gasthrough the gas holes 62 and the flow of gas through the gas holes 63can be controlled independently.

In some embodiments, the platen 33 also includes a number of gas holesformed on the inner surface 330 of the platen 33. The gas holes formedon the inner surface 330 have the same configuration as the gas holes61, 62 and 63 formed on the platen 32; therefore, the feature of the gasholes formed on the inner surface 330 and will not be described for thesake of brevity.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the gas supplier 50 positioned in thelink 313 of the robotic arm 31, in accordance with some embodiments. Insome embodiments, the gas supplier 50 is positioned in the link 313 ofthe robotic arm 31. The link 313 is a hollowed structure with a channel3135 formed therein. The channel 3135 is placed in communication withthe conduits, such as conduit 610 and 620 formed in the platen 32 andthe platen 33.

In some embodiments, the gas supplier 50 includes an air filter 51, anactuator 52, an impeller 53 and a flow regulator 54. A number of throughholes 3131 are formed on side walls 3130 of the link 313. The throughholes 3131 allow gas communication between an outside of the link 313and the channel 3135. The air filter 51 is positioned adjacent to thethrough holes 3131 and is configured to physically block particle orcontamination gas while letting clean gas through. The air filter 51 mayinclude a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter with filter sizeranged from about 0.1 um to about 0.3 um.

The actuator 52 is located downstream of the air filter 51. The actuator52 includes a direct drive motor and is configured to drive the rotationof the impeller 53. The direct drive motor is a type of permanent-magnetsynchronous motor that directly drives the load. As a result, the needfor a transmission or gearbox is eliminated.

In some embodiments, the impeller 53 is a fan configured to actuate aflow of gas F in the channel 3135. In such embodiments, the impeller 53is connected to the actuator 52 and includes a number of blades 531,such as 3-7 blades. The blades 531 may be made of polyether ether ketone(PEEK) material, and the impeller 53 may have a diameter of about 180 mmto about 220 mm. The output power of the actuator 52 may be in the rangefrom about 0.5 W to about 85 W. The actuator 52 drives the impellerhaving a house power (HP) of about 0.5 to about 2 and generate a flow ofgas F having a volume flow rate of about 5 (cubic meter per minute) CMMto about 12 CMM.

In some embodiments, the flow regulator 54 includes a mist spraygenerator and is configured to discharge a mist spray 540 into thechannel 3135. With the mist spray generator, the flow of gas F in thechannel 3135 will be mixed with the mist spray 540 before beingdischarged through the gas holes formed on platen 32 and platen 33. Insome embodiments, the mist spray generator includes an ultrasonicoscillator. A liquid or mixture is provided from a liquid source (notshown in figures) and is converted to mist spray 540 by ultrasonicenergy generated by the mist spray generator. The discharge of the mistspray 540 can be selectively initiated depending on the process to whichthe suspended article 5 (FIG. 2) is subjected. For example, duringtransfer of the article 5 after the CMP process, the mist spraygenerator is turned on to discharge the mist spray 540 so as to preventdefects due to slurry condensation.

In some other embodiments, the flow regulator 54 includes a heatingmember and is configured to heat up the flow of gas F in the channel3135 before the flow of gas F is discharged through the gas holes 61, 62and 63 (FIG. 3) formed on platen 32 and platen 33. In some embodiments,the flow regulator 54 includes both the mist spray generator and theheating member. In such embodiments, the heating function and the mistspray discharge function can be started up simultaneously so as toprovide heated mist spray 540 into the flow of gas F.

FIGS. 6A-6I shows schematic views of stages of a method for transferringan article 5 from the carrier 3 to the processing tool 10, in accordancewith some embodiments. The article 5 may include a semiconductor wafer,a test wafer or a photomask for a lithography exposure process. In someembodiments, the article 5 is stored in the carrier 3 and conveyed to aload port (not shown in figures) of the processing system 1 (FIG. 1). Totransfer the article 5 from the carrier 3 to the processing tool 10, thetransporter 30 is moved to a position in front of the carrier 3, asshown in FIG. 6A. The gap G between the platen 32 and the platen 33 isaligned with the article 5 which is to be moved to the processing tool10.

Afterwards, the platen 32 and the platen 33 are moved by the robotic arm31 along a direction as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6A. The movementof the platen 32 and the platen 33 is stopped, when the platen 32 andthe platen 33 are inserted into the carrier 3 to have the article 5positioned between the platen 32 and the platen 33, as shown in FIG. 6B.In some embodiments, before the discharge of the flow of gas, thearticle 5 is entirely covered by the platen 32 and the platen 33, anouter edge of the article 5 is not exposed outside as seen from topview.

Afterwards, the article 5 is suspended by the flow of gas F from theplaten 32 located below the article 5 in a non-contact manner, as shownin FIG. 6C. The flow of gas F is actuated by the gas supplier 50 and isdischarged toward the article 5 through the gas holes 62 and 63 (FIG.3), but there is no flow of gas passing through the gas holes 61 (FIG.3). The flow of gas F from the platen 32 generates a pneumatic force ina first normal direction on the article 5. The first normal direction isperpendicular to the inner surface 320 of the platen 32. As a result,the article 5 is moved toward the platen 33. In some embodiments, thepneumatic force generated by the flow of gas F from the gas holes 62 and63 satisfies equation P=X*9.8 (kg*m/sec{circumflex over ( )}2)*1.02,where the P is the pneumatic force and X is the weight of the article 5.

When the article 5 is suspended by the flow of gas F from the platen 32,another flow of gas F is discharged from the platen 33 located above thearticle 5, as shown in FIG. 6D. The flow of gas F from the platen 33generates a pneumatic force on the article 5 in a second normaldirection. The second normal direction is perpendicular to the innersurface 330 of the platen 33 and opposite to the first normal direction.As a result, the article 5 is slightly moved downwardly to apredetermined position. In the predetermined position, the height of thearticle 5 is controlled within the range from about 0.4 mm to about 2.3mm relative to the platen 32. In some other embodiments, there is noflow of gas discharged from the platen 33 located above the article 5.The article 5 is moved to the predetermined position by the flow of gasF from the platen 32.

In some embodiments, the flow of gas F from the platen 32 is initiatedwhen the detector 34 detects the presence of the article 5 between theplaten 32 and the platen 33. In some embodiments, the flow of gas F fromthe platen 33 is initiated when the detector 34 detects the height ofthe article 5 relative to the platen 32 is greater than a predeterminedvalue. For example, when the height of the article 5 relative to theplaten 32 is greater than 5 mm, the flow of gas F from the platen 33 isinitiated.

In some embodiments, a closed-loop leveling control is carried out tostably suspend the article 5 at the predetermined position.Specifically, when the article 5 is suspended between the platen 32 andthe platen 33, the detector 34 monitors the height of the article 5relative to the platen 32 and sends detected signals to a controller(not shown in figures). The controller controls the valve (e.g. valve55, FIG. 4A) to adjust the flow rate of the flow of gas F from theplaten 32 and/or the platen 33 according the detected signals so as toadjust the height of the article 5. In some other embodiments, theclosed-loop level control is conducted by adjusting the flow of gas Ffrom the platen 32, and no flow of gas is provided from the platen 33.

After the height of the articles is stably positioned, the article 5 isremoved from the carrier 3 along the direction indicated by the arrow inFIG. 6E. At the same time, another flow of gas F′ is discharged from atleast one of the platen 32 and the platen 33. The flow of gas F′ isdischarged toward the article 5 through the gas holes 61 (FIG. 4B). Theflow of gas F′ from the platen 32 and/or the platen 33 generates alateral pneumatic force on the article 5 in an inclined direction.Therefore, the article 5 is kept within the gap G between the platen 32and the platen 33 while the platens 32 and 33 are moved.

In the above embodiments, because the article 5 is not directly placedon the platens 32 and 33, the article 5 is prevented from beingcontaminated by particles on the platens 32 and 33. In addition, abreakage concern of article 5 due to collision of the platens 32 and 33and other elements in the processing system 1 can be eased.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the article 5 is removed fromthe carrier 3 to the processing tool 10. Because the holding member 13of the processing tool 10 is designed to hold the article 5 facingdownwardly, a flipping process is performed before the article 5 movedto the processing tool 10. In the flipping process, the article 5 isrotated by the transporter 30 upside down, as shown in FIG. 6F. Therotation motion may be completed in 0.2 seconds or shorter, and the flowof gas F and/or the flow of gas F′ are continuously supplied during therotation motion. In some other embodiments, the flipping process isomitted when a processing tool for receiving the article 5 from thetransporter 30 is designed to hold the article 5 facing upwardly.

As shown in FIG. 6G, the article 5 is moved to a destination positionright below the holding member 13, with the platen 32 being positionedbetween the article 5 and the holding member 13. Afterwards, as shown inFIG. 6H, in order to unload the article 5 from the transporter 30 andplace the article 5 on the holding member 13, the platen 32 is driven torotate 180 degrees about the rotation axis R3 from a transferringposition to a loading position, so as to allow the article 5 to face theholding member 13. In the transferring position, the inner surfaces ofthe two platens 32 and 33 face each other, and in the loading position,the two platens 32 and 33 are positioned offset from each other. At thesame time, a vacuum V is created through the air passages 130 of theholding member 13 and the flow of gas F from the platen 33 iscontinuously discharged. The pneumatic force generated by the flow ofgas F and the vacuum V move the article 5 toward the holding member 13in a non-contact manner.

In some embodiments, the discharge of the flow of gas F from the platen33 may be terminated when the article 5 is stably held by the holdingmember 13, as shown in FIG. 6I, and the transporter 30 may be moved tothe carrier 3 (FIG. 1) or other position to handle other article.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of a transporter 40, in accordance withsome embodiments. In some embodiments, the processing apparatus 1further includes a transporter 40. The transporter 40 is configured totransport the article 5 in an upright position (i.e., with the featuresurface facing a horizontal direction.) In some embodiments, thetransporter 40 includes a lower track 41, an upper track 42, a lowercarriage 43, and an upper carriage 44.

The upper track 41, the lower carriage 43, the upper carriage 44 and theupper track 42 are arranged in order along the vertical direction Z. Insome embodiments, the lower track 41 is configured to support the lowercarriage 43, and the upper track 42 is configured to support uppercarriage 44. The upper track 41 and the upper track 42 both have aguiding groove that is compatible with wheels 435 and 445 of the lowercarriage 43 and the upper carriage 44 so as to guide the movement of thelower carriage 43 and upper carriage 44.

In some embodiments, the lower carriage 43 and the upper carriage 44 arearranged in a predetermined plane PP. The lower carriage 43 has alateral surface 47, and the upper carriage 44 has a lateral surface 48.The lateral surface 47 directly faces the lateral surface 48 while thetransporter 40 is vacant, and the lateral surface 47 and the lateralsurface 48 are perpendicular to the predetermined plane PP.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the lower carriage 43 and theupper carriage 44 on the predetermined surface PP, in accordance withsome embodiments. In some embodiments, each of the lateral surface 47and the lateral surface 48 has a curved cross section on thepredetermined surface PP. The curvatures of the lateral surface 47 andthe lateral surface 48 may be compatible with the curvature of an outeredge of the article 5 which is to be supported by the transporter 40.For example, the curvature of lateral surface 47 and that of lateralsurface 48 includes partial segments of a circle in cases where asemiconductor wafer is transported by the transporter 40.

In some embodiments, the lateral surface 47 of the lower carriage 43extends from a first end 471 to a second end 472, and the lateralsurface 48 of the upper carriage 44 extends from a first end 481 to asecond end 482. The first end 471 and the second end 482 face each otherin the vertical direction Z. In addition, the second end 472 and thefirst end 481 face each other in the vertical direction Z. An axis Lpasses through two farthest points 470 and 480 of the lateral surfaces47 and 48. The point 470 may be the center of the lateral surface 47,and the point 480 may be the center of the lateral surface 48. The axisL may be parallel to the vertical direction Z (FIG. 7). The two points470 and 480 may be spaced apart by a distance of about 305 mm to about315 mm, in cases where a 12-inch semiconductor wafer is transported bythe transporter 40.

In some embodiments, there are a first group of gas holes formed onlateral surface 47 and lateral surface 48. The first group of gas holesis connected to the gas suppliers 50 positioned in the lower carriage 43and the upper carriage 44 and configured to discharge a flow of gas fromthe gas suppliers 50 to the article 5.

Specifically, a portion of the first group of gas holes 70 is formed onthe lateral surface 47, and the other portion of the first group of gasholes 70 is formed on the lateral surface 48. The gas holes 70 formed onthe lateral surface 47 are located between the first end 471 and thepoint 470, and the gas holes 70 formed on the lateral surface 48 arelocated between the first end 481 and the point 480. In someembodiments, the first group of gas holes 70 are arranged symmetricallywith respected to the axis L.

In some embodiments, there are no gas holes located between the point470 and the second end 472 and between the point 480 and the second end482. However, it should be appreciated that many variations andmodifications can be made to embodiments of the disclosure. In someother embodiments, there are one or more gas holes 70 located betweenthe point 470 and the second end 472 and between the point 480 and thesecond end 482.

In some embodiments, the gas holes 70 on the lateral surface 47 havedifferent diameters. For example, in a direction away from the first end471, widths of the gas holes 70 gradually decrease, and as such the gashole 70 next to the first end 471 provides a flow of gas with a higherflow rate than the gas hole 70 next to the point 470. In addition, in adirection away from the first end 481, widths of the gas holes 70gradually decrease, and as such the gas hole 70 next to the first end481 provides a flow of gas with a higher flow rate than the gas hole 70next to the point 480. In some embodiments, the largest gas hole 70 hasa diameter in the range of about 7 mm to about 9 mm.

However, it should be appreciated that many variations and modificationscan be made to embodiments of the disclosure. In some other embodiments,the gas holes 70 on the lateral surface 47 and the lateral surface 48have uniform diameter, but the flow rate of the gas holes 70 arecontroller by regulators (such as valves, not shown in figures) to makethe gas hole 70 next to the first ends 471 and 481 provide a flow of gaswith a higher flow rate than the gas holes 70 next to the points 470 and480.

The gas holes 70 on the lateral surface 47 are connected to the gassupplier 50 positioned in the lower carriage 43, and the gas holes 70 onthe lateral surface 48 are connected to the gas supplier 50 positionedin the upper carriage 44. A conduit 71 may be formed in each of thelower carriage 43 and the upper carriage 44 to allow gas communicationbetween the gas suppliers 50 and the gas holes 70.

Referring back to FIG. 7, the lower track 41 and the upper track 42 areconfigured to guide the movement of the lower carriage 43 and the uppercarriage 44. In some embodiments, each of the lower track 41 and theupper track 42 includes a guiding groove (FIG. 9 shows this feature moreclearly) for allowing a sliding motion of wheels 435 and 445 of thelower carriage 43 and the upper carriage 44. The lower track 41 and theupper track 42 may be made of anti-corrosive material, such aspolytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), PEEK, or thermosetting plastic.

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of the lower track 41 with the lowercarriage 43 positioned thereon, in accordance with some embodiments. Insome embodiments, the lower track 41 includes two guiding grooves 411formed on an upper surface 410 that face the lower carriage 43 with aspace in the range of about 10 mm to about 14 mm formed there between.In addition, the lower carriage 43 includes two wheels 435 positioned ata side end 471 that is opposite to the lateral surface 47 (FIG. 7). Thewheels 435 of the lower carriage 43 are positioned in the guidinggrooves 411 and are movable along the guiding grooves 411. As a result,the movement of the lower carriage 43 is guided by the lower track 41.

In some embodiments, the lower track 41 further includes two draininggrooves 412. The draining grooves 412 are connected to the two guidinggrooves 411 and located beneath the guiding grooves 411. Each of thedraining grooves 412 has a narrower width than the corresponding guidinggroove 411. For example, each of the guiding grooves 411 has a width W2of about 8 mm to about 10 mm. In addition, each of the draining grooves412 has a width W3 in the range of about 4 mm to about 6 mm. Thedraining grooves 412 allows the convergence of the processing liquid,such as DI water, fall from the article 5 (FIG. 7). Therefore, the wheel435 will smoothly roll in the guiding groove 411 without hindrance dueto aggregation of the processing liquid in the guiding groove 411.

Referring back to FIG. 7, in some embodiments, the transporter 40further includes a platen 45 and a platen 46. The platen 45 and theplaten 46 are positioned at two sides of the predetermined plane PP andpositioned between the lower carriage 43 and the upper carriage 44.

In some embodiments, the platen 45 has an inner surface 450 and theplaten 46 has an inner surface 460 extending in width directions of theplatens 45 and 46. The platen 45 and the platen 46 are positioned insuch a way that the inner surfaces 450 of the platen 45 can be directlyfacing the inner surface 460 of the platen 46 with a spacing formedtherebetween. The spacing may be slightly greater than a width of thelateral surface 47 in the horizontal direction Y, and the lateralsurface 47 extends from the first end 471 to the second end 472 alongthe horizontal direction X (FIG. 8). The horizontal direction Y isperpendicular to the horizontal direction X. For example, the width ofthe lateral surface 47 in the direction Y is of about 10 mm to about 14mm, and the platen 45 and the platen 46 are spaced by a distance in therange of about 12 mm to about 16 mm.

In some embodiments, the platen 45 and the platen 46 have the sameconfiguration as the platen 32 described above. In addition, there are asecond group of gas holes formed on the inner surface 450 of the platen45 and the inner surface 460 of the platen 46. The second group of gasholes may be arranged on the inner surface 450 and the inner surface 460as that of the gas holes 61, 62 and 63 formed on the inner surface 320as shown in FIG. 3. Therefore, the features of the platen 45 and theplaten 46 and the arrangements of the second group of gas holes will notbe described in detail for the sake of brevity.

In some embodiments, the platen 45 and the platen 46 are connected tothe upper carriage 44 via two brackets 465. The two brackets 465 may bepivotable connected to outer surfaces of the upper carriage 44, and oneor more actuator (not shown in figures) are positioned in the uppercarriage 44 for driving a rotation of the two brackets 465 about arotation axis R4. Two gas suppliers 50 may be positioned in the twobrackets 465 for supplying gas into the second group of gas holes formedon the platen 45 and the platen 46.

In some embodiments, there is a detector 49 positioned between the lowercarriage 43 and the upper carriage 44. In the embodiment shown in FIG.8, the detector 49 is placed on the lateral surface 470 of the lowercarriage 43. The detector 49 is configured to detect a position of thearticle 5 in the transporter 40. The detector 49 may emit energy beamsuch as laser, sonar, or microwave, to the article 5 and receives areflected energy beam from the article 5. Afterwards, the detector 49calculates the distance between the article 5 and the detector 49 bymultiplying the velocity of the energy beam and the traveling time ofthe energy beam. The detected results are sent to a controller (notshown in figures) for performing a closed-loop leveling control.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the article 5 is transferredfrom transporter 30 to the transporter 40 before the article 5 isprocessed by the processing tool 20. Stages of a method for transferringan article 5 from the transporter 30 to the transporter 40, inaccordance with some embodiments, are shown in FIGS. 10A-10C.

As shown in FIG. 10A, to transfer the article 5 from the transporter 30to the transporter 40, the article 5 is moved by the transporter 30 to aposition between the lower carriage 43 and the upper carriage 44. Beforethe approaching of the article 5, the platen 45 and the platen 46 arelift to an idle position as shown in FIG. 10A to allow the insertion ofthe platen 32 and 33.

Afterwards, as shown in FIG. 10B, the article 5 is rotated about therotation axis R3 about 90 degrees by the joint 316 to allow the outeredge of the article 5 facing the lateral surface 47 and the lateralsurface 48. At the same time, the flow of gas F4 is discharged from thelower carriage 43 and the upper carriage 44 apply the article 5.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, the flow of gas F4 from thelower carriage 43 gradually decreases in a direction toward the point470, and the flow of gas F4 from the upper carriage 44 graduallydecreases in a direction toward the point 480. Therefore, the flow ofgas F4 generates a pneumatic force to support the article 5 between thelower carriage 43 and the upper carriage 44 in a non-contact manner. Inaddition, the flow of gas F4 drives a rotation of the article 5 about anaxis passing a feature surface of the article 5. In some embodiments,the pneumatic force generated by the flow of gas F4 from the lowercarriage 43 and the upper carriage 44 satisfies equation P=X*9.8(kg*m/sec{circumflex over ( )}2)*1.02, where the P is the pneumaticforce and X is the weight of the article 5.

In some embodiments, a closed-loop leveling control is carried out tostably suspend the article 5 at the predetermined position.Specifically, when the article 5 is suspended between the lower carriage43 and the upper carriage 44, the detector 34 monitors the height of thearticle 5 relative to the lower carriage 43 and sends detected signalsto a controller (not shown in figures). The controller adjust the flowrate of the flow of gas F4 from the lower carriage 43 and/or the uppercarriage 44 according the detected signals so as to adjust the height ofthe article 5.

Afterwards, as shown in FIG. 10C, the platens 32 and 33 are replacedwith the platens 45 and 46 by lowering down the platen 45 and the platen46 to a position next to the article 5. When the article 5 is positionedbetween the platens 45 and 46, the flow of gas F5 is generated by theplaten 45 and the platen 46 so as to control the position of the reticlein the direction X and in the direction Y. The flow of gas F5 may applyforce on the article in a direction that is normal to the featuresurface, and/or apply force on the article 5 in a direction that isinclined to the feature surface of the article 5 as the flow of gasshown in FIG. 6E.

Afterwards, as shown in FIG. 10D, the lower carriage 43, the uppercarriage 44 are moved along the lower track 41 and the upper track 42 totransfer the article 5 to next destination, such as the processing tool20 (FIG. 1). During the transfer of the article 5, the flow of gas iscontinuously provided by the lower carriage 43, the upper carriage 44,the platen 45 and the platen 46 to control the position of the article 5in the transporter 40.

In some embodiments, a closed-loop leveling process as described abovecan be conducted to limit the position of the article 5 in thetransporter 40. In some embodiments, during the transfer of the article5, gaps between the article 5 and the lower carriage 43 or the uppercarriage 44 is controlled in the range from about 4 mm to about 6 mm,and gaps between the article 5 and the platen 45 and the platen 46 iscontrolled in the range from about 4 mm to about 7 mm.

Embodiments of a method for transferring article used in semiconductorfabrication are provided. Improvement of a transporter for transferringthe article allows a non-contact transferring process and hence improvesthe product yield of the semiconductor device because possibility ofcontamination is prevented and reduces the manufacturing cost because ofwafer scrap reduction.

In accordance with some embodiments, a method for transporting anarticle used in semiconductor fabrication is provided. The methodincludes moving a first transporter next to an article to have thearticle faces a plurality of gas holes formed on the first transporter.The method further includes suspending the article with the firsttransporter in a non-contact manner by providing a flow of gas throughthe gas holes of the first transporter. The method also includestransferring the article with the first transporter while the flow ofgas is continuously provided.

In accordance with some embodiments, a transporter used for transportingan article in semiconductor fabrication is provided. The transporterincludes a robotic arm. The transporter further includes two platensconnected to the robotic arm. Each of the two platens an inner surfacefacing the other, and a number of gas holes are formed on each of theinner surfaces of the two platens. The transporter also includes a gassupplier placed in communication with the gas holes. The gas supplier isused to control the flow of gas through the gas holes.

In some embodiments, a first portion of the gas holes extends in adirection that is perpendicular to the inner surface on which they arelocated, and a second portion of the gas holes extends askew relative tothe inner surface on which they are located. In some embodiments, eachof the inner surfaces has a first ring-shape region and a secondring-shape region concentrically arranged. The first portion of the gasholes are located in the first ring-shape region, and the second portionof the gas holes are located in the second ring-shape region. In someembodiments, each of the inner surfaces further has a central regioninside the first ring-shape region and the second ring-shape region, athird portion of the gas holes are located in the central region, andthe third portion of the gas holes are controlled independently from thesecond portion of the gas holes. In some embodiments, an area of thecentral region is greater than an area of the second ring-shape region,and the area of the second ring-shape region is greater than an area ofthe first ring-shape region. In some embodiments, each of the gas holeshas a tapered cross section. In some embodiments, the transporterfurther includes a detector positioned between the two platens andconfigured to detect the position of an article, when the article ispositioned between the two platens. The gas supplier controls the flowof gas through the gas holes according to the position of the articledetected by the detector. In some embodiments, one of the two platens ispivotably connected to the robotic arm to move between a transferringposition and a loading position. In the transferring position, the innersurfaces of the two platens face each other, and in the loadingposition, the two platens are positioned offset from each other.

In accordance with some embodiments, a transporter used for transportingan article used in semiconductor fabrication is provided. Thetransporter includes an upper carriage and a lower carriage arranged ina predetermined plane. Each of the upper carriage and the lower carriagehas a lateral surface facing the other, and a first group of gas holesis formed on each of the lateral surfaces of the upper carriage and thelower carriage. The transporter further includes a lower trackconfigured to facilitate movement of the lower carriage. The transporteralso includes an upper track configured to facilitate movement of theupper carriage. In addition, the transporter includes a number of gassuppliers placed in communication with the first group of gas holes andthe second group of gas holes. The gas suppliers are used to control aflow of gas through the first group of gas holes and the second group ofgas holes.

In accordance with some embodiments, a transporter used for transportingan article in semiconductor fabrication is provided. The transporterincludes two platens and a gas supplier. The two platens are connectedto each other and each has an inner surface facing the other. Aplurality of gas holes are formed on each of the inner surfaces of thetwo platens. The gas supplier is placed in communication with the gasholes and configured to control the flow of gas through the gas holes.The gas supplier includes: an air filter, an actuator, and an impeller.The air filter is configured to filter the flow of gas. The actuator islocated downstream of the air filter. The impeller is configured toactuate the flow of gas and driven by the actuator. In some embodiments,the gas supplier further includes a flow regulator configured todischarge a mist spray to the flow of gas. In some embodiments, the mistspray comprises an ultrasonic oscillator. In some embodiments, the gassupplier further includes a flow regulator configured to heat up theflow of gas before the flow of gas is discharged through the gas holes.In some embodiments, the transporter further includes a robotic armconnected to the gas supplier. The robotic arm has a plurality of sidewalls forming a channel, and the channel is in communication with thegas supplier. In some embodiments, a plurality of through holes areformed on the side walls, and the flow of gas enters the channel via thethrough holes.

In accordance with some embodiments, a transporter used for transportingan article in semiconductor fabrication is provided. The transporterincludes a robotic arm, two platens, and a gas supplier. The robotic armincludes: a first post, a second post, and a link. The first post ismovable along a first direction. The second post is connected to thefirst post and movable along a second direction perpendicular to thefirst direction. The link is connected to the second post. The twoplatens are connected to the link and each has an inner surface facingthe other. A plurality of gas holes are formed on each of the innersurfaces of the two platens. The gas supplier is placed in communicationwith the gas holes and configured to control the flow of gas through thegas holes.

In some embodiments, the robotic arm further comprising two shaftsconnected to the link, and each of the shafts is connected to an edge ofone of the two platens. In some embodiments, the two platens isconfigured to move between a transferring position and a loadingposition. In the transferring position, the inner surfaces of the twoplatens face each other, and in the loading position, the two platensare positioned offset from each other. In some embodiments, a portion ofthe gas holes extends askew relative to the inner surface on which theyare located. In some embodiments, a portion of the gas holes has atapered cross section. In some embodiments, the transporter furtherincludes a detector positioned between the two platens and configured todetect the position of an article, when the article is positionedbetween the two platens. The gas supplier controls the flow of gasthrough the gas holes according to the position of the article detectedby the detector.

Although the embodiments and their advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the embodiments as defined by the appended claims. Moreover,the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited tothe particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture,composition of matter, means, methods, and steps described in thespecification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readilyappreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing orlater to be developed, that perform substantially the same function orachieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodimentsdescribed herein may be utilized according to the disclosure.Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within theirscope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter,means, methods, or steps. In addition, each claim constitutes a separateembodiment, and the combination of various claims and embodiments arewithin the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A transporter used for transporting an article insemiconductor fabrication, comprising: a robotic arm; two platensconnected to the robotic arm and each having an inner surface facing theother, wherein a plurality of gas holes are formed on each of the innersurfaces of the two platens; and a gas supplier placed in communicationwith the gas holes and configured to control the flow of gas through thegas holes.
 2. The transporter as claimed in claim 1, wherein a firstportion of the gas holes extends in a direction that is perpendicular tothe inner surface on which they are located, and a second portion of thegas holes extends askew relative to the inner surface on which they arelocated.
 3. The transporter as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of theinner surfaces has a first ring-shape region and a second ring-shaperegion concentrically arranged; wherein the first portion of the gasholes are located in the first ring-shape region, and the second portionof the gas holes are located in the second ring-shape region.
 4. Thetransporter as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the inner surfacesfurther has a central region inside the first ring-shape region and thesecond ring-shape region, a third portion of the gas holes are locatedin the central region, and the third portion of the gas holes arecontrolled independently from the second portion of the gas holes. 5.The transporter as claimed in claim 4, wherein an area of the centralregion is greater than an area of the second ring-shape region, and thearea of the second ring-shape region is greater than an area of thefirst ring-shape region.
 6. The transporter as claimed in claim 1,wherein each of the gas holes has a tapered cross section.
 7. Thetransporter as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a detectorpositioned between the two platens and configured to detect the positionof an article, when the article is positioned between the two platens;wherein the gas supplier controls the flow of gas through the gas holesaccording to the position of the article detected by the detector. 8.The transporter as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the two platens ispivotably connected to the robotic arm to move between a transferringposition and a loading position; wherein in the transferring position,the inner surfaces of the two platens face each other, and in theloading position, the two platens are positioned offset from each other.9. A transporter used for transporting an article in semiconductorfabrication, comprising: two platens connected to each other and eachhaving an inner surface facing the other, wherein a plurality of gasholes are formed on each of the inner surfaces of the two platens; and agas supplier placed in communication with the gas holes and configuredto control the flow of gas through the gas holes, wherein the gassupplier comprises: an air filter configured to filter the flow of gas;an actuator located downstream of the air filter; and an impellerconfigured to actuate the flow of gas and driven by the actuator. 10.The transporter as claimed in claim 9, wherein the gas supplier furthercomprises a flow regulator configured to discharge a mist spray to theflow of gas.
 11. The transporter as claimed in claim 10, wherein themist spray comprises an ultrasonic oscillator.
 12. The transporter asclaimed in claim 9, wherein the gas supplier further comprises a flowregulator configured to heat up the flow of gas before the flow of gasis discharged through the gas holes.
 13. The transporter as claimed inclaim 9, further comprising a robotic arm connected to the gas supplier,wherein the robotic arm has a plurality of side walls forming a channel,and the channel is in communication with the gas supplier.
 14. Thetransporter as claimed in claim 13, wherein a plurality of through holesare formed on the side walls, and the flow of gas enters the channel viathe through holes.
 15. A transporter used for transporting an article insemiconductor fabrication, comprising: a robotic arm, comprising: afirst post movable along a first direction; a second post connected tothe first post and movable along a second direction perpendicular to thefirst direction; and a link connected to the second post; two platensconnected to the link and each having an inner surface facing the other,wherein a plurality of gas holes are formed on each of the innersurfaces of the two platens; and a gas supplier placed in communicationwith the gas holes and configured to control the flow of gas through thegas holes.
 16. The transporter as claimed in claim 15, wherein therobotic arm further comprising two shafts connected to the link, andeach of the shafts is connected to an edge of one of the two platens.17. The transporter as claimed in claim 16, wherein the two platens isconfigured to move between a transferring position and a loadingposition; wherein in the transferring position, the inner surfaces ofthe two platens face each other, and in the loading position, the twoplatens are positioned offset from each other.
 18. The transporter asclaimed in claim 15, wherein a portion of the gas holes extends askewrelative to the inner surface on which they are located.
 19. Thetransporter as claimed in claim 15, wherein a portion of the gas holeshas a tapered cross section.
 20. The transporter as claimed in claim 15,further comprising a detector positioned between the two platens andconfigured to detect the position of an article, when the article ispositioned between the two platens; wherein the gas supplier controlsthe flow of gas through the gas holes according to the position of thearticle detected by the detector.